[red]

last night during sunday dinner we spotted this blazing bright red sun.
we quickly ran outside on my parent's front porch to catch this gorgeous light.
my family all yelled amelia, go take a picture!
i don't ever remember seeing the sun this red. these pictures really don't due it's justice.
it was really cloudy, so there was a haze in front of it,
but it was almost a dark hot pink color... so beautiful!
did anyone else see this?

thank you julie, ariane and ellen for these vibrant homegrown vegetables... we can't get enough!

the first thing we did with these red tomatoes was add them to tuna sandwiches. .gobble gobble.

we also enjoyed a juicy and delicious burger with red tomatoes again from five guys hungry yet?

then we wrapped up the weekend with rag curlers
(that's what my mom always called them... mismatched homeless socks)
tie 'em up after freshly washed and dried hair for beautiful bouncing curls the next day!
not too comfortable to sleep on, but definitely worth it!
.beauty is pain.

[driving slow on sunday morning]

when we heard news that sam's sweet aunt passed away, we packed up the sub and headed out.
driving slow? only when i summoned the driver to decelerate and even halt so i could take a picture or two...
he ever so kindly supported my desires :) love you sammy!

these are some of the beautiful sights we saw along the way!

.i saw this home and thought it looked so inviting.

crisp cool air, mountain mist and stunning views on a drizzly day! we loved every minute!
it was extra great with happy kids and our favorite music playing!

get this, a drive-thru liquor store.
.interesting.
we had never seen one before, but i guess we haven't been looking :)
i just had to snap it...
a.j.
this is for you!

it wouldn't be right to for-go bubba's... it's tradition!

[brightless]

i had a hard time being a mom today.
it was basically bleak.
my patience was puny, my daughters were disagreeable, and i didn't find much light in the day.
now i know the answer to my question...
people may simply run for solitude,
to decompress, clear the head, get away.
[you get the picture]
sam cheered me up when he arrived home with some silly scout stories he had just experienced at their activity tonight; something about lifeguards, kid jigs and disrespect...
i guess one bright side could be that i'm not asked to parent 10 twelve year old boys every day :)
may i have a better outlook tomorrow.

[favorites]

.a few of my latest little loves.

okay, i've loved this scent for a long time, but it's just so
.pure, clean and crisp.
the best!




morning fresh scent!


i wanted to share these with you...
i was all excited because i thoroughly enjoyed them with a little whipping cream on top.
unfortunately, this tasty, wobbly little snack did not get good reviews at all.
i was disenchanted when i read they apparently do not have any antioxidants.
what a bunch of hooey.
they tasted good!

.when plain almonds just don't quite hit the spot.

have you ever partaken? if you like gingerbread cookies, i think you'll fall in love!
these are so light, crispy and delicious!
i buy mine at IKEA

lavender vanilla: just smells cozy and beautiful!

[dog house]

have you ever sent someone to the dog house?
what did they do?
i was just sent a HILARIOUS short film clip!
you have got to see this!

[my music box]

i'll take one of these please!

so it is 4:30 a.m. and this post decided to awaken my restless slumber and it won't stop swirling around in my head!

no laurie, i won't rise early to go walking with you,
but i will blog! ahhh, what is wrong with me? i guess i'll eat some cottage cheese and type so perhaps i can go back to sleep.

i began a discussion on c jane's community last night posing the question "why do people run?"
i've been thinking a lot about this lately, probably because i know so many people who eat, sleep and breathe it. when it's just a few miles, that seems plausible, but when they're out for hours on end, it just boggles my mind. i think it's awesome, but how can that be fun? last night when i called laurie to tell her i didn't want to get up, i asked her this same question. she said that ariane told her that "she needs the endorphins". is that true ariane, if you're reading this? is that the secret all you runners share? i'd love to fathom. if people are having knee replacements and missing toenails, it must be GOOD! i'm just sayin'! maybe i haven't given it a good enough go, i don't know.

i "think" i've figured out that my body doesn't require intense exercise to loose or maintain weight. it's all about food for me. i find when i workout too hard, i am ravenous and want to eat everything in sight.

unfortunately my r.a. medicine can cause weight gain[big frown], but if i give up "bad carbs"(all the delicious, i mean yucky sweets and stuff)along with what i'm about to tell you, i can really slim down. the problem is, i have to really motivate myself to eat this way. i'll start and be super good, very natzi, and then give in and love it too much. lately i've been doing great and loosing a few.

i heard on Zonya's Health Bites(do you ever watch this?)that by simply doing 40 jumping jacks every morning, this fun bouncy exercise can boost your metabolism, get your blood circulating and "wind up the music box" is what i like to call it. if you don't have time for 40 jumping jacks, you have problems LOL!

so that's what i have been doing, along with maybe 10 or 15 minutes of pilates exercises(love mari winsor!)or a good speed walk here and there.

so aimee, this is for you. i mentioned i was going to write about this, and i've finally done it after i've amused myself with weddings and photography. and way to go and good luck to you with your running! it sounds like you've found what you love!
wow, full circle here!

oh, and i can't forget to mention that project runway starts tonight! i have a slight crush on this show! it's not a modeling show if that's what you're thinking, it's all about designing and making clothing- completely fascinating to me!
it is SO good!

[samantha & blake: part II]

.one final task had to be completed.

the flowers!

i love every part of them, their colors, aroma, shape, texture and design!
they are my favorite piece of the wedding cake! okay, the dress is a close tie.
my beautiful talented aunt
shares my affection.
she takes on the feat and arranges them exquisitely!
jenn has graciously done all the family flowers, excluding mine
(she hadn't quite tapped into that pursuit yet, don't worry, i still loved mine).
they've all been AMAZING! i wish i had pictures of all of them to show you!

throughout the years, she has recruited me to be her little helper, along with my mom, aunts,
sisters and cousins.
i just love watching her shape all kinds of blossom varieties into showpieces.
just like her interior decorating & fashion design, she has flawless taste!
oh, did i mention she's also a model? yeah, we hate her! [smile]

we all enjoy quite a holiday chatting and creating them together [grin]
they are surely a labor of love. it's not easy work to say the least;
between choosing, ordering, purchasing, transporting,
arranging, storing and transporting again,
it is a HUGE job and very stressful!

jenn does it all!

too bad they don't last forever huh?
*note to any future brides: she'll be charging next time!

see the final products & wedding pictures here

[samantha & blake: part I]

as we gathered in the bright serene sealing room, we eagerly anticipated their arrival. the bride looked sensational and the groom could not stop smiling! they had very special ceremony, the room was overflowing with the sweet spirit of the Lord. their sealer gave them very valuable counsel he had once heard President Hinckley give. these are the highlights i remember:
he first asked them to read The Family: A Proclamation to the World often, and then i love when he urged them to
always be aware and anxiously engaged in one another's comfort. and that selfishness erodes marriages.

i believe that!

as we walked to my cousin's wedding luncheon hand in hand, sam and i discussed how blessed we were to witness this sacred ordinance. we remembered the day when we made the same special promises to each other, and how grateful we are for our eternal companionship.

i began typing this post before church this morning, and ironically, our sunday school lesson was on temple marriage.
(so if you were in class with me, please excuse the repetition as i shared these words with our class)

congratulations love birds!

.more pictures to come here soon.
i was not their photographer, just fun practice for me!

[my almost new friend]

what would you do if you met someone and wanted to be their friend? i'd like to know!
i'm sure most people would ask them for their name and phone number more than likely, right?
well, not me.
a couple days ago, as i was trouncing through walmart in the sippy cup isle, when the sweetest lady just started talking to me and complimenting me on my beautiful daughters. she treated me as though i was one of her long lost friends. i didn't have a stitch of makeup on, my hair was a mess, and later when i came home, i realized i had a zit that needed popping-GROSS! this cute young mother didn't care. she was so sweet to me anyway! we chatted about our children, her kids were close in age to mine, and then we sat and analyzed the sippy cups together! she was delightful and funny, like a breath of fresh air for me! i knew i looked totally ghetto, but she welcomed me in such a way that i didn't even think twice about that. after contemplating our encounter, i'm sure i subconsciously assumed that i would never see this woman again, so it didn't much matter how i was observed.

as we were ready to part ways, i so badly wanted to learn her name, maybe get her phone number, or hey, find out if she had a blog!
but no. i didn't. i chickened out.
i've been trying to figure out what happened. i think i was worried she would think i was a psycho or something. i don't know! i should have said, "you're hilarious! i've loved our little chat! what's your name? do you have a blog? i'd love to keep in touch!" that's what i should have done. but my ego wouldn't allow it that day and now i regret it!

after i ventured home and unloaded the groceries, i couldn't get this situation off my mind. "What's my problem?" i kept asking myself. she's gone and i will probably never see her again, just like the english boy!!! okay, that was a bit different, he was a boy and i was looking for love. but now she's gone and who knows where that relationship could have gone.

then i thought, i can't even keep up the friendships i do have! i have so many amazing friends who deserve much more of my attention! with as busy as i am these days, i'm lucky if i get together or chat with anyone. i may check their blogs or facebook and comment at midnight, or sneak off to a movie every so often, but that's about it!

and then my second thought was, i need to take better care of my established relationships first before i start picking up new friends, sort of like children's toys :)
and i quickly corrected myself knowing full well that
i can never have too many friends! yes, kinda like shoes!

so dear walmart woman, wherever you are, i'm sorry! i hope to learn from my mistake and conquer my fear of "new friend finding"! you taught me a lesson! if i ever run into you again, i hope to say hello!

[julie & julia]

okay, have you seen Julie & Julia yet? i'm sure every blogger in America will be writing about this masterpiece, but i haven't seen any posts so far...
so i will take the liberty and tell you, it was so incredibly wonderful!
i laughed, cringed, cried
(okay, i didn't cry... my friends & family all know i'm a big bawl baby!!!)
and walked away wanting to cook my head off!

it also made me want to buy julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking!
i have a sneaky suspicion bookstores won't be able to stock these fast enough!



i can't forget to applause
Meryl Streep for giving a killer performance!
she mastered the art of Julia!
amy adams was as adorable as ever too!

if you blog, cook, bake, or none of these, this is a show you'll really enjoy!
i promise! if you don't like it, something must be wrong with you [wink]!
go see it!
i want to know what you think!

p.s. jeanne, this movie has the cutest bushel & a peck song in it!
maybe you've already heard it...
it would be so perfectly fitting for your blog playlist!

[august rush]

i'm pretty excited about how this shoot turned out!
i thought i'd share this image along with the others here.

[the english boy]

after reading mary's pen pal post, flashbacks of my adolescence returned.

my correspondence first began with the little boy next door (yes! the one i'd basement kiss) after he moved far, far away.
i missed our friendship - not the smooches[smile].

like i commented on the fresh notes post, i carefully wrote a heartfelt message to the boy on the prettiest paper i could find and sprayed it heavily with my mother's perfume
(which i picked up from the movie Grease!) lol!
we wrote a little bit during that year and then it dwindled.
i actually found his brother & sister on facebook and later eventually "became friends" with him on there too! it's amazing who you can find on-line these days!

.that brings me to the english boy.
many, many summers ago during my high school days, our family went on a vacation to santa cruz, ca.
the salty breeze and giant waves delighted our giddy little souls!
we thought we were pretty cool and just loved the concept of being whoever we wanted to be.
for me anyway, i felt like i could be a totally different "amelia" than the girl back home. i could just let loose and not worry about impressing my friends or making a complete fool out of myself.

one night, during our evening hotel pool & spa ritual, we became acquainted with some kids from England. we had a grand time talking to them and just laughing at their fascinating accents and hilarious humor! we kept asking them all kinds of questions and couldn't believe how parallel but skewed our lives were from each other. they kept reminding us that their fashion was far forward, along with their music than ours here in the states. we just giggled of course and kept probing them to speak, just to hear their peculiar dialect.

there was one boy in particular that i happened to fancy.
we promised to meet each other the next morning before he took flight across the world;
but for whatever reason we did not connect. sadly, i never did see him again.
at some point the night before, we exchanged addresses (before vonage and affordable international calling, there was no way we could pay for telephone calls.)
.and so we wrote.
i sent him packages with American paraphernalia & pictures of myself, and he sent me funny little treasures from the UK.
one time in particular he sent me a homemade cassette tape with Ace of Base music, something we hadn't heard yet(of course)!
as we both started dating other people, i again lost contact with the boy.
i did send him my wedding invitation though :)

and surprise, surprise, i found him on facebook!
.this time we did not become friends.




courtesy of waterhalo

i don't know why. did he forget me?
i'm not too upset about it! i'm happily married!
i just thought it might be fun to say hello.